Main Menu

Newsletters # 1 - 10 already sent

(28683 total words in this text)(12652 Reads)

newsletter archive

3D
Render Daemon weekly newsletters archive

Render Daemon Newsletter
#10

WOW ! Did I say that there was some excitement
brewing in the background ? Did I promise
some good gear for this newsletter ? Well
READ ON fellow RS user - for we have some
exciting new stuff online for your reading
pleasure!

WHATS NEW

Articles
The FEATURE article for the site - is of
course, an interview with none other than
Vesa Meskanen ! Vesa gives us a bit of background
behind Realsoft, and what to expect for
the future - Satu has even kindly supplied
us with a few photos from finland ! :) To
read, go HERE:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Articles.htm

Glossary
David Coombs has come through with the goods
yet again ! With Part 3 of his Raytracing
series - the man has a mission - to teach
the world how Raytracing works ! Fantastic
read and another great installment. Read
online here:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Glossary_Main.htm

Model Library
We have had 4 swords sent in - many thanks
to Robert den Broeder, Francesco Proietti
and Peter A. Hou for taking the time to
model up these terrific swords. View / download
them here:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Models09-Swords.htm

New pages online
As per users requests - we have added a
few new pages (albeit still under construction)
- we have:

Environments page (yes - you can send
in your environments for others to use),

Macros page (a few up here already
- but feel free to send in macros, javascripts
or Building Block project files)

Materials page (Still empty here -
we have a few from the FTP, I'll try to
add shortly)

Newsletter page - an archive of all
the newsletters sent to the list (For
people not subscribed to the user list)

THIS WEEKS TOPIC: is ..
CARS

Be it a realistic Lamborghini or a simple
cartoon SDS - have a go at modelling up
some cars for inclusion on our Model Library
Resource site. Try to keep them roughly
to scale - and feel free to include jpg
texture maps if req'd.

NEWS

While we all happily model our cars for
the next topic, our bustling team of developers
have been working hard putting nose to grindstone
to bring you some fantastic new plugins.
Not far now, here is the latest info:

Delta:
Has been very busy - currently developing
a new website - all dynamic and looking
terrific. The latest word from Alessandro
about Chrono:

"Chrono -in beta release- has been
already used succesfully for the design
of true robots. Now it will also be integrated
(through 'custom' releases) into a realtime
vehicle simulator and into the control interface
of industrial robots.

- CHRONO EXTREME (for engineers and scientists,
with all the features enabled. Also includes
a genetic optimization engine for the best
design of mechanisms, a cam design tool,
etc.)

- CHRONO CUSTOM (for vertical applications
- price and features must be agreed with
the customer)"

He is also excited about the prospect of
implementing Open Cascade into Realsoft3D.
He says:

" I think that one area which need
improvements in Realsoft3D is the CAD toolset.
In fact I already used R3D and CHRONO for
designing devices and mechanisms, but R3D
is not a CAD, so it may be difficult to
draw sheets for the mechanical parts, with
measures/tolerances etc. Until now, I used
IGES in/out to exchange files with some
3D CAD software (designing a schematic mechanism
with CHRONO on R3D, then completing the
drawing on a parametric 3D CAD like SolidWorks,
to output sheets on plotter etc.), but file
conversion -you know- may be a source of
problems and soon or later you loose some
details and informations.
Therefore I think that it would be nice
to add some CAD tools to Realsoft, at least
the most important (like line trimming,
line filleting, chamfers, -for 2D- and true
edge rounding/filleting/chamfer for 3D,
with a robust 3D B-Rep engine, being able
to represent good wireframes and good booleans.
Maybe also with parametric/ associative/variational
features like in hi-end products like SolidEdge,
SolidWorks, Catia, ProE, etc.)
Of course the design of a robust B-Rep geometric
engine is one of the most complex programming
challenges, and it may require 50+ man-years.
Anyway there is an easy solution: the OpenCascade
open-source project! The OPENCASCADE geometric
engine has been used for hi-end 3D CADs,
and features powerful geometric tools. Given
its license policy, we could write a plugin
for Realsoft3D which uses some useful features
of this huge library... This may be the
fastest and easiest way to add 3D CAD features
to Realsoft3D.
Go to www.opencascade.com and www.opencascade.org
to understand the features of this library.
You can also download it (many megabytes
of source code!) for your own SW projects.
"

Dynadream:
Carlo is also hard at work developing his
website, and has some fantastic work well
underway - stay tuned for next newsletter
for further details !

Wow ! What an exciting time ! Its the calm
before the storm here - as all things Realsoft
are firing on all cylinders ! Unknown to
many users probably - there has been a frenzy
of activity in the background, with developers
creating some fantastic work that will surface
very shortly now !

WHATS NEW

Articles
Building Blocks REVIEW online NOW ! Frank
has came through with the goods, and we
have reviewed what looks to be an important
part of every RS3D users toolkit ! A must
have program - check out the review to learn
more about this exciting new app:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Articles.htm

Its been a relatively quiet week on the
Daemon front yet again.

We have had no swords or shields yet (See
topic below) I'm hoping that users have
not lost momentum already in the Model library
concept. Suggestions for other topics welcome.

Glossary
David Coombs is still working hard on Part
3 - and we hope to see that installment
soon !

New FEATURE article appearing in next weeks
newsletter - along with some great new news
that I can't disclose yet ;) So its really
a quiet week this one - all the action will
happen next week hopefully !

THIS WEEKS TOPIC: is .. SWORDS & SHEILDS
!

Get the viking blood flowing and create
some realistic and mystical swords. Should
be a great topic to show off RS rendering
capabilities & caustics. Think bevelled
edges, gold trim and leather bounding -
shields with ornate patterns - its a topic
that offers some huge potential.

Topic still currrent - I'm really surprised
that we have had no submissions :( I'm hoping
that we can keep the model library idea
running - but it only runs with input from
you users. Without input - we simply don't
have a model library :/

Render Daemon Newsletter
#8 - Jan 2003

G'day RS Affectionados !
As the User list has been down for some
time - things have been quiet of late. I
did sent out a newsletter #7 by direct mail,
but have not had any response, so for the
sake of those that missed out, this newsletter
is essentially the same content with a few
updates.

Glossary
David Coombs has come up with the goods
again, and written Part 2 of his Raytracing
articles. As earlier posted to the list,
I think many people have seen this one already
- but again, I highly recommend everyone
to read this one - very professional:http://www.vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Glossary_RaytracingPt2.htm

We are all keenly waiting for the next
installment David ! Great work.

Articles
New article online - an interview with the
amazing Tim Borgmann of (BT)Grafik. Find
out more about the man responsible for designing
the RS website and modelling up the famous
Knife logo:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Articles.htm

Realcloth is progressing in great leaps
- Carlo has been hard at work, and is currently
producing tutorials and documentation. Stay
tuned for more progress on this exciting
new plugin.

Service Pack 1 is nearing release - Realsoft
are working hard to polish off the last
bugs. Stay tuned.

THIS WEEKS TOPIC: is
.. SWORDS & SHEILDS !

Get the viking blood flowing and create
some realistic and mystical swords. Should
be a great topic to show off RS rendering
capabilities & caustics. Think bevelled
edges, gold trim and leather bounding -
shields with ornate patterns - its a topic
that offers some huge potential.

Hoping that this will generate some entries.
Its a fun topic - and plenty of reference
material around so it should generate some
fantastic images !

Render Daemon Newsletter
#7 - Jan 2003

G'day RS Affectionados !
Sorry for the lateness of this newsletter
- but this week has proven highly hectic
at this end.
Fires ripping through our city - (only a
hundred metres from my place) in Canberra,
Australia. Poor old computers have been
packed up and shipped around twice now as
they keep telling us to evacuate ! Another
hot weekend coming with threats of more
of the same :/

WHATS NEW

Its been a relatively quiet week on the
Daemon front -

The Trees topic only yeilded 3 trees from
Frank Bueters
- who came up with the goods on some sensational
3D trees. Its a bit of a shame, but its
a tough topic.

Unfortunately, I've had so little time
with the fires and powering away on yet
another 3d Office building, that I have
not uploaded the Tree page yet. I'll try
to rectify this on the weekend - my apologies
to Frank. The trees are certainly worth
the download. Keep checking this page for
updates:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Models01.htm

Glossary
David Coombs has come up with the goods
again, and written Part 2 of his Raytracing
articles. As earlier posted to the list,
I think many people have seen this one already
- but again, I highly recommend everyone
to read this one - very professional:http://www.vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Glossary_RaytracingPt2.htm

Articles
New article online - an interview with the
amazing Tim Borgmann of (BT)Grafik. Find
out more about the man responsible for designing
the RS website and modelling up the famous
Knife logo:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Articles.htm

THIS WEEKS TOPIC: is ..
SWORDS & SHEILDS !

Get the viking blood flowing and create
some realistic and mystical swords. Should
be a great topic to show off RS rendering
capabilities & caustics. Think bevelled
edges, gold trim and leather bounding -
shields with ornate patterns - its a topic
that offers some huge potential.

Hoping that this will generate some entries.

Render Daemon Newsletter
#6 - Jan 2003

A big hello to all in RS land - another
busy week has passed, and a few items of
interest have been added to the Realsoft
3D Resource website:

Articles
No new articles this week I'm sorry - I'll
try to get a few online next week. stay
tuned.

MODEL LIBRARY

A few new lamps have been added, from
Krystian and Frank. Frank has been very
busy and sent in 5 models (all very detailed)
for the Desk Ornaments topic - all up a
good collection now online.

THIS WEEKS TOPIC: is
.. TREES !

Due to the interest on the user list,
I think it would be good to keep the interest
rolling with a topic on 3D trees. If there
is enough interest, I could add the Real3D
tutorials on how to use the Fractal Tree
generator settings online. As usual, send
me your models and I'll upload them to the
site for all to use.

Render Daemon Newsletter
#5 - January 2003

Happy New Year everyone ! I hope you all
had a good break and we wish
you a propsperous new year with lots of
RS3D fun ahead !

WHATS NEW

Well, while the rest of the world has
been partying hard - I've been slugging
away judiciously on the 3DRD site:

Links Page
Is now back online - and has dozens of Realsoft
specific related links:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Links.htm
If you would like your home page added,
please feel free to send me the url for
inclusion.

Is going great - we have a few new models
trickling in each week - but we want to
keep that momentum up - For those of you
with half finished chairs or lamps, please
tidy up the models and send them in for
inclusion - there is no timeframe for these
!

New models added to the general page -
A great mannequin from Robert that he would
like to see with a skeleton - and the Kits
(Spider and Petaranodon) online now as well.http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Models02.htm

Think vases, photos, flower arrangements,
coasters, plates, cutlery, items that you
would find on a coffee table to shelf. This
is pretty open topic and I'm hoping will
generate a fair bit of interest. As usual,
send your entries into me for inclusion.
Details at:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Models01.htm

Whew ! As you can see - its been busy -
and now that everyone is trickling back
on deck, I'd like to see some great work
come to the site for the benefit of all.
Think User profiles, Tutorials, and of course,
models. I'm hoping to see some great Desk
ornaments from a few new people as well
this week - Keep modelling and all the best
-

Render Daemon Newsletter
#4 - December 2002

Its been busy even over the Christmas period
! A Great New Year for all -

As its a "holiday Period" we
will not set a new model topic this week
- but wait until January 2003.

However, models have been pouring in this
week - and we've had a terrific response
from people with the Lamp topic - Particularly
Robert who has been modelling like mad !
http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Models01.htm
Another chair has been added as well.

Some new content in the pipeline and some
news items hopefully. Stay tuned.

3D Render Daemon newsletter
#3 - December 2002

Model Library

GI
Thanks to Mark Heuymans as the only man
with the render power to submit a GI test
project ! A little dissapointing that it
was all left to me to put some content up
- but I'm hoping that people will send in
what they experimented with to get some
more hints / tips online - keep the momentum
going !

This weeks topic is: LAMPS
All manner of lighting - from floor lights,
freestanding lamps, desk lamps - you choose.
Its a challenging topic - and getting the
light emitted from the lamp is 80% of the
challenge. Give it a try for more details
and submissions - check:http://www.vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Models01.htm

New Article added - Kimmo
Pekkola - Soft Artist

A veritable unknown in the RS community
- but is responsible for writing many of
the in/out plugins for Realsoft
3D. Read the article and find out
about the challenges Kimmo faced writing
the IGES plugins:http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Articles.htm

More articles are in the pipeline - we still
hope to hear back from Dustin
McCartney soon so stay tuned for
next weeks newsletter - and don't forget
to send us your LAMP models!

3D Render Daemon newsletter
#2 - Dec 2002

A big THANK YOU to all who contributed
this week ! The response was fantastic and
we hope to keep the momentum going this
week again.

Model Library - Chairs
topic

Is off to a great start ! Check out the
page for all the latest - we have some excellent
models and some really interesting diversity
there already !

The user list has been alive with people
talking about GI - and the best ways to
get the most out of this new feature. So
we thought it best to make a topic of this
- and create a page with scenes that users
have created with GI projects that have
worked for them. Also, we wish to collate
all the hints and tips for this powerful
new method of lighting. Email all ideas
/ tips here - and check the site for updates.
HERE

Newsletter this week in Plain Text due
to user requests - any feedback on this
appreciated.

New Article added - Miles
Finlay - Image Contest Administrator !

Miles Finlay is a long time user of R3D.
For several years now he has been the Contest
Administrator for the RS3D Image Contest.
Click the link below to read all about it.http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Articles.htm

User Profiles

Two new Questionnaires came in this week
which is great ! Ed Scott and Markus Schmidt
- we are keen to get a run down from all
and sundry - so don't wait - shoot us your
profile NOW ! Click the link below for details.http://vrgrafix.com.au/Daemon/Profiles.htm

More articles are in the pipeline - we
hope to hear back from Dustin McCartney
soon so stay tuned for next weeks newsletter
- and don't forget to send us your test
GI scenes / tips and hints !

3D Render Daemon newsletter
#1 - Dec 2002

WELCOME to the inaugral 3D Render Daemon
newsletter !

With this mail out - we hope to bring to
you the latest updates and going's on in
the Realsoft 3D world.

While we realize that the site is still
in its infancy - we hope to bring it up
to standard - with the help from all RS
users. Community sites don't exist without
input and help !

Model Library

As discussed yesterday on the R3D email
user-list, several people put their hands
up to help out with rectifying the sad state
of affairs that is the RS3D Model Library.
This morning Frank (The Rookie) and myself
discussed the best ways to approach this
- and we thought that we would trial a weekly
"topic" that might prove a catalyst
for models. Using this method, I hope to
keep users enthusiasm up, and models pouring
in.

Note that there is no timeframe for models
- feel free to submit as many models as
frequently as you like on whatever topic
- the weekly topic will hopefully give people
some inspiration.

This weeks topic is: CHAIRS

Create any type of chair - from timber
bar stools to leather sofas. For test scene
info and more - click HERE
to view the models page on details and submission
point.

New Article - on Delta
Engineering !

Alessandro Tasora
- author of Chrono,
kindly had a chat with us to tell us the
status of this powerful plugin for Realsoft3D.
Click HERE
to read.

User Profiles

Questionnaires keep coming in - which is
great to see ! There is several hundred
yet to go though - and we are keen to get
a run down from all and sundry - don't wait
- shoot us one NOW ! Click HERE
for details.

A few more surprises are in the pipeline
- so stay tuned for next weeks newsletter
- and don't forget to get modeling on a
chair !